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Jennifer Hudson joining Smash for second season

OSCAR winner Jennifer Hudson is to join the second season of hit show Smash.

The actress and singer, who won an Academy Award for Dreamgirls, has reportedly landed a multiple-episode arc on the Broadway drama, according to NBC.

She will play a character named Veronica Moore, a Tony-winning Broadway star who impacts the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty).

In a statement, NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said: “We’re thrilled to have Jennifer Hudson coming to Smash. This series is a showcase for some of the best musical talent in the business, and that’s a fitting description for Jennifer Hudson.

“Her character will represent someone who reached their Broadway dream but also paid a price for it.”

Executive producer Steven Spielberg added: “First Dreamgirls, now Smash. I have no doubt Jennifer will continue to deliver even more inspiration to the audience responsible for giving us a second season on NBC. It’s wonderful to be reunited with her at DreamWorks Television and NBC.”

Hudson will make her debut in the Season 2 premiere, when she will line-up alongside some big Broadway names, including Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, who will play a Brooklyn-born singer with a self-destructive streak.

Gossip Girl‘s Josh Safran has also been recruited as showrunner in April.

The new cast members replace some of those who didn’t make the cut for the second series, most notably Jaime Cepero (Ellis), Raza Jaffrey (Dev) and Brian D’Arcy James (Frank).

James will return in some capacity to wrap up his storyline opposite Debra Messing’s Julia.